


Summertime: a Between the Lines ficlet

by The_Honeyed_Hufflepuff



Series: Between the Lines [8]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: & a half up half down hairstyle, (of baz), (there is art), Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, baz doesn't like change, baz wears purple, but he does like simon's glasses, posted this on tumblr but the algorithm is RUDE so i'm posting here too, references to game of thrones, references to snogging, simon & baz are both thirsty in more ways than one, that's it that's the fic, the main point of today was art, this is literally just flirty banter, two boys in love squaring off in a fake argument across a cafe counter, why the heck not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26785762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Honeyed_Hufflepuff/pseuds/The_Honeyed_Hufflepuff
Summary: a slice of life scene for BTL Simon & Baz, eight months later.(also there's art because this started out as one of my art prompts for the month & then I accidentally wrote this.)
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: Between the Lines [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1464463
Comments: 20
Kudos: 92





	Summertime: a Between the Lines ficlet

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all! I rise from the dead!!! 
> 
> Not to be dramatic or anything, but it's been a rough few months for my mental health. Luckily things got better for me (& are hopefully still improving) just in time to do an October art project! It's my first year participating, & we're two days in & I'm already 1. exhausted & 2\. creating self-indulgent BTL content. I drew BTL Baz for today's prompt & inspo struck & I knocked out a ficlet to go with. Hope y'all enjoy.

**SIMON**

I already have it made for him when he walks up to the counter on his break, looking so cool. Looking like the hot swot he is. (He _is_ still a swot, even though it's summertime. He's taking summer courses, the knob.)

He's got his eyes narrowed at it, and that one eyebrow looks like it's making to run off into his widow's peak. 

Finally he looks at me, bored. (I know by now he's not. The more bored he looks, the more interested he is. Also I think he does it to taunt me.) (It always works.) "What's this, Snow?"

"Your posh wanker drink," I tell him. "Posh wanker confectionery with extra cream." The ice rattles around when I reach for the cup and turn it towards him so he can see what I've drawn. "Also with standard t-rex."

Baz sucks at his teeth—I'm sure he's only doing it because he knows that look riles me up—and squares with me from across the counter, arms crossed, eyebrow at the ready. I throw my tea towel over my shoulder and cross my arms, too. (I'd like to think we look like some bookseller-and-barista-boyfriends version of those Old West duels. Only we both make it out alive, because I'm totally planning on snogging him into something later.) (I mean, he can't just walk around here in those trousers and expect any less.) (Also he's done something new with his hair, a sort of half up half down thing. I'm mad for it.) 

His eyes flick down to the cup, then back up to me. I jut my chin at him and smirk. (Also I try to raise my eyebrows in a bit of a sexy way, but I'm not sure it works.)

"What's this?" he asks again, and I know the eyebrow thing worked now. I know because he's lisping. And also repeating himself.(Maybe it's just the glasses. He's well hot for those on any day, eyebrow thing aside.) 

I reach out and push the drink towards him, just a bit. It sweats on my knuckles, and I dry them on my tea towel.

"This is an abomination," he says.

"It's _ice_ ," I tell him. "Y'know. Because it's summertime. Might like it if you tried."

He rolls his eyes and sighs, and I've no idea how he makes even _that_ look good. I've been trying to figure it out for nearly eight months now. "You know I abhor change."

"Yeah, well. Need something to cool you down, don't you?" I give him a once over. I don't bother winking. (It never bloody works when I do; I just end up blinking in slow motion.)

"Is this a come on?" He sounds...I dunno. Concerned? Weirded out? It must not be too bad, in any case, because he finally picks the drink up.

"Yeah," I tell him. "You. Me." I jerk my head off to the side. "Stock room, after work."

He laughs. "Right. Absolutely not."

I knock my hip against the counter. "Well. Fine." I do a scan of the cafe to make sure we're well enough alone, then, "You. Me. Yours, after work. HBO Go. Jon Snow. Dragons. Curry. Snogging. Trousers off. Doesn't have to be in that order."

He stirs the straw around, then bloody well starts licking the cream spilling out the hole in the lid. Of course he does. "Get back to work, Snow," he says. Then he leaves me here.

It's a few orders and a lot of thinking about him licking that cream later that I finally pull out my phone to text him.

**Fit Idiot (6:54 pm):** how was it then

 **bookshop bloke baz 🦖 (6:55 pm):** Adequate.

And then I ask him what he thinks of my idea for tonight, even though it's literally what we've done every Sunday night since Game of Thrones came back on.

**bookshop bloke baz 🦖 (6:55 pm):** Also adequate.

Right. 

He fucking loves the drink then.

He takes it with ice in until October.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts! Also I'd like to take this moment to say that chapter 20 of BTL is nearly done & will be published soon! I'm so sorry for the long wait; I did not expect to have a mental health crash this summer but it's 2020 so I guess that's just par for the course. 
> 
> ALSO! I made a fandom [Instagram!](https://www.instagram.com/thehoneyedhufflepuff/) I've been sharing my art on my feed -& little tidbits of life things on my stories (& the folks in the stories voted that I post this here), so come visit me if you want! 
> 
> I'm also still on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thehoneyedhufflepuff) because I like to suffer


End file.
